One reason for this might be that there is no hard and fast rule for working out translation costs – and everyone tends to do things a bit differently. Different countries use different base units, some languages are more expensive than others and certain types of texts require a lot more research and investment.
This article will help you to understand why your translation project costs what it does, what factors affect the cost, and some basic numbers to give you a rough cost calculation. In this article we’ll explore:
- basic principles that affect translation pricing, such as language pair and resource availability
- other factors, such as urgency, deadlines and reference material
Language
The first thing to bear in mind is which languages you want to invest in for your texts. One thing to consider here is that some languages cost significantly more than others. There are a variety of reasons for this, including local costs and availability of linguists.
For example, Scandinavian languages tend to be at the pricier end of the scale due to the relatively high living costs within those countries, whilst rare African languages tend to also be more expensive due to a lack of trained professional translators for these languages. Supply and demand are always major factors affecting translation pricing.
Cheaper languages
Common European languages
for example:
French, Spanish, Italian
Widely spoken languages
for example:
Chinese, Arabic
More expensive languages
Countries with high living costs
for example:
Scandi, Dutch, Japanese
Languages with fewer translators
for example:
Rare African languages
Industry
The cost per word for translation can also vary across industries. It could also be the case that even within your own business you’ll have different requirements. Certain types of text can cost more to translate. In this way, legal and technical translations are likely to carry a higher price than a general marketing or HR document.
But it’s not always so clear-cut. If you are looking to have a dynamic, modern marketing campaign translated, you will need a certain type of translation and linguist; something along the lines of transcreation, where the translator recreates the source text in a creative, marketing-friendly way.
It’s important to think about what type of project you have on your hands when it comes to cost, and perhaps how you can simplify things. Projects that come with a wide variety of reference materials, glossaries and translation memories are going to result in more efficient and simplified work for the translator, and therefore lower costs all round.
Deadline / Urgency
Another variable that can change the cost of translation is the deadline. If you have any urgent request, we’ll always do our utmost to fit this in. But on occasions urgent deadlines can mean evening and/or weekend work, which can increase costs.
This leads to higher per-word prices to cover translator costs, so it’s always a good idea to try and plan enough time within working hours for your chosen language service provider to complete your translation – around 1, 500 words per day is an average translator’s output.
Pricing examples
Pricing examples below are correct at time of publication (updated Jan 2021). Actual pricing can be lower due to repetition and volume discounts.
- 3,000 word document, English into French = £345 / €390 / $470
- 5,000 word InDesign Brochure, NGO customer - £600 / €675 / $820
- 25,000 word technical specification, English into Polish - £2,875 / €3,250 / $3,900
- 2,000 words of website content, English into Dutch - £290 / €325 / $400
- Certified translation, 2 pages - £99 / €110 / $135
- Large website, 500 pages, 3 languages - £20k / €22.5k / $27k
Translation costs vary for a number of reasons, so we always recommend getting a quote. A translation company will analyse the source files(s) to get an accurate word count and check for any discountable in-text repetitions. This saves you time, and might even save you some money!
If you’re looking to establish costs for a translation project, why not contact us.
We’re always happy to provide a no-obligation quote to help you understand whether translation fits into your budget!
